Sportsmanship
by Dyde21
Summary: Jaune is struggling in a close sparring match, however his opponent isn't too worried about staying within the rules. That can only spell disaster for our young hunter. (Not so)Subtle Arkos


Short ragged breaths escaped Jaune as he hid behind his shield. His arms felt like lead, his feet felt glued to the floor, and he was pretty sure he wouldn't be able to keep up the fight for much longer. Judging by the orange bar on the scroll on his shield, he wasn't wrong. At most he could take two more hits before he'd be in the red. However, for once, his opponent wasn't fairing much better.

Another visiting first year from Vacuo, they had been paired up in the match. Jaune found his sparring partner... interesting to say the least. He certainly wasn't shy about talking during the match, nor was he afraid of critiquing everything Jaune did. He had a feeling the man and Cardin would get along handsomely.

"You're almost there Jaune!" Pyrrha called out from her spot in the stand, dripping with pride at seeing her partner fight.

"You got this Jaune! Kick his butt!" Ruby called out in support.

Another fresh surge of strength flooded Jaune as he tightened his grip on his sword. He couldn't let his friends down.

"Go down now and you don't have to get hurt. I thought I'd take it easy on you but you're starting to annoy me."

Jaune just grit his teeth, the man's taunts were getting annoying.

"This is your last warning. Drop out now or you're going to regret it." He said with a ominous warning in his voice.

"Just fight me!" Jaune shouted out as he charged forward, tired of the taunts.

The man swung his great axe at Jaune. The swing was powerful, but slow.

Ready for it this time, Jaune brought his shield up, bracing it with his other hand as the weapon glanced off it, before he brought his sword up in a slice.

The man jumped backwards, watching his aura drop dangerously low. "Wrong move boy."

"End it now. Enough playing."

"Crush him!" His teammates cheered out with cocky laughs.

Jaune tensed up as he saw his opponent reach behind him to retrieve something. Blocking the last blow had dropped Jaune's aura to the bare minimum above elimination. He knew he had to land this next strike flawlessly.

Glynda stood off to the side, debating whether or not to stop the match. It was a miracle Jaune wasn't already eliminated with how low his aura had dropped. However, she was aware of how much he had been improving lately, and if she was honest with herself he had an actual chance at winning this match. Calling it early felt a little cruel, and the last thing she wanted to do was damage the self esteem of one of her students that already clearly struggled with it. So reluctantly she decided to let the match play out.

"Get ready!" Pyrrha called out, standing up as the nerves had her far too on edge. She knew how badly Jaune had wanted to win this match, and she wished with all she had that he would. He just needed one more good blow.

Jaune's opponent's hand shot from behind his back as something soared through the air. Jaune hopped backwards as he brought up his shield, bracing for any sort of attack but nothing came. Hesitantly he looked down as he saw two large red crystals on the ground in front of him. His eyes widened in realization. "Dust..."

"Jaune, block!" Pyrrha screamed in absolute desperation, already knowing what was about to happen. She was already running towards the front of the bleachers as she saw Jaune's foe jump high into the air.

Glynda reached out, ready to toss them with her semblance but the visiting student had already thrown his great axe as it collided with the crystals.

A massive explosion erupted from the crystals, shaking the ground slightly as a cloud of dust erupted from the impact.

"Jaune!" A guttural scream of terror ripped from Pyrrha's throat as she leaned over the edge, shielding her self from the dust and debris. Jaune's aura had already been so low... a blast of that magnitude point blank was dangerous. Far too dangerous.

Jaune's limp body shot out of the dust like a missile, his sword and shield missing.

Glynda tried to focus on catching him with her semblance, but the cloud of dust was obscuring her vision and she couldn't see the speeding boy clearly enough.

Jaune's body bounced off the ground once as Pyrrha looked on in terror, seeing the aura around his body vanish as his protection left him.

"No!" Ruby called out as she watched helplessly.

"Jaune!" Ren called out, standing up as well.

Jaune bounced a second time, this time with a sickening crack as his arm was suddenly not bending in a normal way.

Pyrrha hopped the fence as she ran towards him, far too slow to save him as she watched in terror as her closest friend sped towards the wall. She reached out, desperate to save him in any way. She tried to slow him with her semblance, but he was moving too fast to have much impact in such a short time.

Jaune's body collided against the wall with another sickening crack as he fell to the ground. The entire auditorium was completely stunned into silence, aside from Pyrrha who was still running towards her partner, screaming in desperation.

The paralysis only last a moment for Ren and Nora before they were running after their team leader.

Pyrrha dropped to her knees in shock as she saw her leader. His arm was bent in an unnatural direction, his leg seemed broken as well. She couldn't tell for sure, but there was no way some of his ribs weren't broken as well. She had managed to slow him a bit but it wasn't enough.

Jaune had let out on scream of agony as he slowly reached with his good hand towards his broken arm.

A wheeze of air escaped his lips as he looked up at Pyrrha, doing his best not to scream out in pain.

"Jaune... Jaune." She just repeatedly, gently holding his good hand as she tried to pet his hair, trying to soothe him in any way she could.

"What were you thinking?" Nora exploded on Jaune's opponent who just stood there with his hands raised. Ren had a hand on Nora's shoulder, keeping her from physically maiming the visiting student, though the grip on her shoulder was tight, showing just how difficult it was for Ren to stay composed.

"It was a close match. I had to secure a victory, I never meant for him to be injured, is he okay?" The boy asked, with fake concern.

Before Nora could put him in worse shape than her leader, Glynda had stepped up, finishing calling the paramedics.

"Those measures were far beyond what was necessary to win the fight. You were aware of both of your aura levels. That level of attack should not be used in a tournament style match. We will be speaking with Ozpin after we get Mr. Arc the medical treatment required. You will not be competing in the Vytal Festival after that display." She said sternly, before she turned to Jaune as she ran over, checking on his condition.

Jaune was gripping Pyrrha's hand in a death grip as he had his eyes shut tight, trying to not show the pain that was burning through every fiber of his body.

Jaune's foe approached him and Pyrrha, speaking softly. "Is he okay?" He asked.

Pyrrha was visibly shaking as she stared at Jaune's face, knowing if she turned around, if she saw the face of his opponent, that she wouldn't be able to hold herself back.

"No, he's not." She said, choking back a few tears.

"I told him not to keep fighting. It's his faul-" The man was cut off as Pyrrha's hand whipped backwards, glowing a grim black. The Vacuo student shot across the arena like a bullet, being dragged by his armor. He slowly slid to a stop as Pyrrha let out deep breaths, trying to keep her cool as she listened to Jaune's ragged breaths and gasps of pain.

"Ms. Nikos. The doctors are here. Let them see him." Glynda said gently, gingerly placing a hand on her student's shoulder.

"Jaune..." Pyrrha said, still holding his hand desperately.

Jaune just let out a pained grin as he looked up at her, trying to hide the pain. "I'll be fine. Don't worry!" He said before he coughed a few times before he passed out.

The medics rushed in, moving him onto a stretcher. "He'll be fine. He just passed out from the pain." They reassured her as they began to move him out of the training hall.

"I'm going with him." Pyrrha said to Glynda, challenging her to object.

"So are we." Nora said as she ran with Ren to catch up.

Glynda just sighed. "I'll let your teachers and Ozpin know." She said as they left, following their leader. She walked over to the student who was finally picking himself up off the ground. "Now then. To deal with you."

The student just backed up in terror under Glynda's strict gaze. Suddenly, he realized his revenge may have been a bad idea.

XxXxXxXxX

Pyrrha sat quietly in a chair, next to Jaune's bed. She was gently holding his hand as he slept, feeling hollow inside. She had been sobbing the entire trip to the hospital, and felt numb now. Ren had taken Nora to get some food for the group, though Pyrrha also figured he was trying to keep Nora distracted as well knowing how much he cared for her.

She stared at her leader in the white sheets, feeling a fire in her chest she wasn't too used to. He had been _so close_. His opponent wasn't a push over by any means, and Jaune had forced him so far. If they had clashed with normal blows, there was a very real chance Jaune could have walked away with a win.

She squeezed his hand gently. Ever since the Vytal festival had grown closer, she had seen him work so hard. He had pushed himself so far, feeling like he was going to drag the team down. She wished he could see how he fit into their team. He was the perfect leader for them. He united them, lead them in battles perfectly, and could draw out the strengths of each of them. He might not have the physical prowess of herself or Nora, but she knew that he was just as responsible for the victories their team had. But he couldn't see that. He wasn't the one being lead smoothly. He wasn't the one who felt the ease of a battle going optimally for you.

No, he was the one for the shoulder the burden of leadership. He was the one who struggled to fight against foes with much more experience and compared himself to other gifted students. He couldn't see the progress he had made in such a short amount of time, and it broke Pyrrha's heart.

She felt the slightest pressure on her hand as her head snapped up.

"Jaune?" She asked hesitantly, surprised by how hoarse her own voice sounded.

"Pyr...rha?" He asked weakly as he blinked a few times.

Pyrrha let out a shuddering breath at the sound of her name. He was okay.

"I'm right here Jaune. Are you okay? Do you need anything." She asked, fidgeting nervously, knowing there was nothing she could do for her partner at the moment. She gently pet his hair, urging him to look at her.

Jaune blinked a few times before his eyes focused on the worried red head staring intently at him.

"I'm fine." He said, before attempting to shift. He gasped in pain before falling back. "Maybe a little less than fine."

Pyrrha let out a sigh of relief, feeling worry slowly dripping away from her. "Don't try to move. Your left arm is broken, as well as your right leg. Also three ribs. You're extremely lucky you aren't hurt more."

Jaune let out a ragged sigh. "I see. So I'm stuck in here again." He said with a sigh. "I'm s-"

"Don't." Pyrrha's voice snapped as she glared at him. "Do not apologize Jaune Arc. You did nothing wrong."

Jaune just looked at her in surprise, not used to seeing his partner snap at him. He just nodded his head.

Looking up at the ceiling he sighed. "Will I be released before the festival?"

Pyrrha nodded her head, still playing with his hair gently. "Yes, they said you'll be out a little before then. If you rest properly, you should still be able to compete. Aura is very good at helping us, and you have a lot of it so you should be fine. Assuming you _rest properly_. She repeated, knowing her partner tended to get restless when he was supposed to recovering normally.

Jaune nodded, a sheepish smile on his face. "I got it. I promise I wont do anything strenuous until I get your approval." He promised with a smile that made Pyrrha's heart melt. "I guess I lost that match though." He said with a sigh.

Pyrrha squeezed his hand. "You're wrong. You won that match Jaune. You preformed so well. You fought excellently, and if _he_ hadn't cheated and gone well beyond what was called for in a match like that, you very well may have beaten him fair and square. The fact your forced him to use such underhanded measures means you won the fight in my eyes. And I am not just saying that." She affirmed, beaming at him with pride.

Jaune just stared at her, before a smile crept on his face. "If you really think so."

"I do." Pyrrha affirmed.

Jaune grinned. "Well, I'll have to do better in the tournament."

Pyrrha beamed. "That's the spirit. Though, next time let's win together without getting so hurt, okay?"

Jaune just laughed, ignoring the pain in his chest. "Sounds like a plan."

"Jaune?" Nora's voice sounded from the hallway as the door slammed open as she lowered her foot. "Jaune!"

"It seems you're feeling better." Ren's voice said more calmly, his arms full of food as he smiled.

Jaune just nodded. "Yeah."

Nora just grinned. "Good! Cause you sure kicked his butt! We can't have the winner out cold when we should be celebrating!

"Did I hear something about a celebration?" Yang's voice rang out as she walked in with the rest of team RWBY.

"Don't you guys have classes?" Jaune asked, surprised to see them.

"We skipped. Are you okay?" Ruby asked, gliding over the first part as if it was no big deal.

Jaune glanced over at Blake and Weiss, surprised to see them skipping a class.

Blake shrugged. "We were worried." She said, offering him a small smile.

Weiss merely scoffed. "Of course we were. Besides, I talked to Oobleck and he was willing to let us go today."

Ruby leaned in, whispering softly. "We were actually already leaving before we got the approval." She said before snickering at Weiss's refusal to be forward.

Jaune just smiled, before breaking down into a coughing fit, earning worried glances from all his friends.

Pyrrha offered him apple juice in a cup with a straw, holding it patiently.

Jaune leaned back. "Thank you." He said to Pyrrha, before pausing and looking at the rest of his visitors. "Thank you all for visiting. You guys really are all the best!" He said, choking up a bit.

Pyrrha just smiled, squeezing her hand reassuringly.

"That's what friends are for." Ren said reassuringly.

"You get sappy in the hospital." Yang teased, though she wore a warm smile.

Jaune just laughed. He really was happy with his decision to go to Beacon. These friendships would be something he always treasured.

XxXxXxXxX

Hope you enjoyed this! I have too much fun writing oneshots like this. I really need to be kinder to Jaune. He deserves some more fluff, I hope he gets some nice moments in canon soon. For anyone following my other story Arc's Metalworks story, I'll be posting another chapter for that in a day or two! Just wanted to write this suddenly.


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